The present invention relates to a wedge-type breechblock arrangement for a gun, with a propellant igniter magazine disposed adjacent the wedge-type breechblock and including a guide chute and individual propellant igniters lined up in a row in the guide chute.
Wedge-type gun breechblock arrangements of this type are disclosed, for example, in German Patent No. DE 3,233,749.A1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,626. The igniter magazine disclosed in this patent includes a linear magazine chute to accommodate the propellant igniters so that it is necessary to exchange magazines after a small number of rounds are fired. Other significant drawbacks are that, for example, in order to be ignited, each propellant igniter must be pushed completely out of the magazine into the cartridge chamber of the breechblock wedge and, in addition, the magazine must then be moved transversely in order to perform the ignition process. It is further necessary to provide a relatively complicated extractor and ejector device for the extraction and ejection of the casing of an ignited propellant igniter from the cartridge chamber. Further, in this prior art breechblock, obturation is provided by the propellant igniter itself.
German Patent No. 3,921,767.A1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,365, discloses a propellant igniter magazine for a wedge-type breechblock that has an enlarged cartridge holding capacity by providing the magazine with an endless chute in which the propellant igniters can be stored in significantly larger numbers. The propellant igniters are stored within the guide chute in a row of casings. The interior of each casing is configured as the charge chamber for a received propellant igniter and is disposed in a firing position within the propellant igniter magazine. In this arrangement, the breechblock includes only the firing channel. A separate cartridge chamber is not necessary.
A drawback of this wedge-type breechblock is that an additional sealing means is required for obturation between the breechblock and the respective casing. This sealing means must be monitored constantly and exchanged relatively frequently.